Reunited
by RandomHamster33
Summary: Loki didn't want to rule Earth. He didn't want to lead the Chitauri into battle. He didn't want Thor to hate him; not really. Alternate ending to the Avengers. Contains Loki!whump.
1. Chapter 1

The sounds of war rained down from all directions. Explosions rang out across the city. Falling chunks of debris, mostly from shattered buildings and windows, became spread out over the streets and cars below. The few people still running around screamed as they were shot at by the creatures that flew up in the sky. They screeched and chittered as they destroyed the city.

And on the balcony of the Stark Tower, a single being stands in complete peace, a grin upon his face. His sleek black hair sticks out from under his golden helmet, the long horns extruding into the air, absolutely gleaming in the sun, along with the matching armor. The long scepter's sharp end glinted with its own malicious intent as the lean hand tightened its grip around it. Blue light swirled around in the center of the blade like a miniature storm.

There was a flash of color and a large man dropped from the skies, hammer tight in his hand. He faced the other man, a complete opposite of him, with his blonde hair and bulk, while the black haired man was thin and wiry.

"Loki!" Thor growled, face twisting in anger, hammer pointed at the top of Stark Tower, "turn off the Tesseract or I'll destroy it."

Loki grinned, the simple action filled with malice. "You can't. There is no stopping it." He aimed his scepter at his rival. "There is only the war!"

"So be it."

The two rushed at each other, weapons ready. Hammer and scepter collide in a clash of metal, the two who used to be so close, now with their faces in the other's. Loki unleashed a strong blast of energy at Thor, who deflected it with Moujnir. The smaller man's rage and suffering of being ignored came in at full force, with the other defending himself against the attacks.

Thor reached in and grabbed hold of Loki, who squirmed and attempted to break free. Thor put his hammer between them, putting a hand up to grab his brother's neck and force him to look around them.

"Look at this! Look around you!" Thor yelled right in his brother's ear. "You think this madness will end with your rule?"

Loki hesitated slightly, mouth open, eyes full of pain. "It's too late. It's too late to stop it." He tried to look away, but the strong hand of the Asgardian was still clamped firmly-yet gently-on the back of his neck.

"No. We can." Thor looked at his brother in desperate terms, hoping that maybe, just maybe, he could get Loki to see the truth. "Together."

Loki locked eyes with Thor. The god of mischief looked with sadness filling his green eyes upon the blonde haired god.

"I-I-"

Loki pushed himself away in a desperate attempt to get back. Thor released him without a sound.

Loki didn't say anything right away. "Why should I?" he whispered quietly. He kept his gaze focused on the floor.

Thor stepped forward slightly. "What?"

"I said why should I?" Loki repeated, somewhat louder this time, meeting Thor's gaze, eyes burning with pain. "Why should I let you help me? You didn't help me before!"

"Brother-"

"Do not call me that!" Loki choked, his grip tightening on his scepter. "If you truly cared, than why weren't you there!?"

"Loki," Thor said sadly, "I'm sorry."

"No, you aren't!" He glared at the Asgardian. "You don't care about me." He let his head drop. "Never about me."

Thor stepped forward and put a large hand on Loki's shoulder. "I've always cared, little brother. And I always will."

Loki once again shoved his brother away, growling softly. "Why should I believe you?"

"When have I ever lied to you?" Thor asked, putting his arms out. "Not once; not ever."

Loki remained silent for a few moments, the only sounds heard being buildings blasted to pieces.

"Then where were you?" came the simple question. He lifted his head up to meet his brother's gaze.

"I was looking for you," Thor said.

"Ha!" Loki gave a short, humorless laugh, somewhere in between a choked sob and a sarcastic retort. "I never saw you." His dry smile faded away and he let his head drop down again.

Thor shook his head. "Brother, what has become of us?"

"You mean of me?"

There was silence after that. The two siblings looked each other in the eyes, dark meeting light.

Thor shifted his hammer in his hand. "Loki, you must end this."

"I can't," Loki murmured.

"Can't or won't?" Thor's expression hardened. "Do you see what you are doing? Do you see how many innocent people have and are dying? End this **madness**!"

Loki's gaze burned brighter. "I can't! He won't allow me to, don't you see?!" Thor went silent.

The blonde thought of a reply, but his mind blanked. "Loki. . . you were. . . tortured, weren't you?"

The Jotun didn't reply immediately, but instead tilted his head up to the sky. "Do you hear them, Thor?"

"What?"

"The sounds of death. Everywhere. That's all the Chitauri are; the bringers of death. They destroy everything, and I'm in charge of them. It's all I hear, day and night. It's maddening." He brought his head back down, looking at Thor in the eyes, startling the latter. "You'll never understand, what I went through."

"Loki, what happened to you while you were away?" Thor whispered, concerned for his brother.

"Day and night, pain and suffering. . ." Loki muttered, shaking his head. "Never can get a good night's sleep when you're being burned with a red hot piece of metal, can you?"

"Loki. . ."

"And you know what was the worst part?" He continued on. "My own _brother_ didn't even help. I was left in the dark, and the cold, all alone. I was completely, utterly, helpless." He smiled; a weak, fake, uncomfortable smile.

"I can help you, Loki. You're not alone anymore," Thor said, dropping Moujnir with an almighty thud. He put his arms out. "You won't be alone again, _brother_."

Loki eyed the blonde. He wasn't going to just give in; he still had a job to do. "I. . ." He shook his head. "No."

Thor frowned, his shoulders dropping. "Loki?"

"He. . . he'll kill me, Thor. I have to do it." Loki weakly raised his scepter. Thor's eyes shone with sadness.

"Go ahead. Kill me. If you can." He stood still. The trickster shook slightly, his eyes gleaming.

"I. . . can't." He let the scepter drop down to his side. "I could never. Not even when I dropped you out of the aircraft. I knew you'd survive."

Thor smiled slightly and walked closer to his brother. "We can end this."

"I know."

"How?"

Loki glanced down at the weapon in his hands. "The scepter. It's the only way."

Thor put out a hand. "Then shall we?"

Loki briefly hesitated, before latching onto his brother's hand for the first willing time in ages. It felt nice to be reunited. With a sudden movement, Thor had retrieved his hammer and launched them to the top of Stark Tower.

The two brothers approached the Tesseract, Loki gripping his scepter tightly. He carefully extended it, beginning to breach the outer forces. Suddenly, there was an agonizing pain in his head that traveled down his whole body in a giant wave. Loki let out a cry and fell to the floor.

Thor rushed forward, picking his brother up and cradling his head in his hands. "Loki? Loki!"

"T-Thor," Loki mumbled weakly, pushing the scepter towards the Asgardian. "Take it. You'll need to close the portal. ." His eyelids fluttered close.

"LOKI!" Thor shouted, shaking his brother slightly. He quickly put two fingers on Loki's neck to check for a pulse. He got a steady _thump thump_ and breathed a sigh of relief. He gently set the smaller man on the floor again and stood up.

"I can close the portal," Thor said into his comm as he picked up the scepter.

"Do it!" Captain America yelled in response. Without another thought, the Asgardian leaned forward and tapped the crown. There was a hitch in the energy and the blue light closed in on the portal that showed the outer regions of the universe, sealing it.

Cheers sounded from below, some being heard through the comm as the team cheered. Thor's excitement only lasted a moment, however, as he saw the limp body of his younger brother lying on the floor. He quickly reached down to pick him up. Loki didn't react at all as Thor swept him up in his arms.

"It'll be okay, brother," Thor said softly to his little brother, a small smile on his face. He was about to launch himself off when he realized he was wet. Slowly moving Loki away from his abdomen, Thor looked down and saw his midsection and arms were covered in blood.

"Loki!?" Thor cried, sweeping his brother's armor away from his stomach. There was a large gash in Loki's midsection, which blood was currently running profusely from. Not wasting another moment, Thor sprinted towards the edge of the building and launched himself off, flying off Stark Tower. He braced himself for impact, bending his knees and bringing Loki closer to his chest.

Loki hung limply in Thor's arms; head rolling back and one arm-the one that was not pressed against his brother-hanging at his side, swinging with their motions.

Their impact was hard. Thor thought his legs were going to break from the hit, but he barely even wasted a moment in continuing, though Loki screamed as he was jostled so much, his back arching upon impact. Thor winced at hearing his brother's pain, and ran faster. 

* * *

"What was that?" Natasha asked as the ground rumbled and a harsh scream echoed through the air.

The Captain shrugged. "I don't know."

"I say we ask Thor, and look, there he is," Tony said, still in his Iron Man suit and hovering above the group of Natasha, Barton, Steve, and Banner, who was conveniently not the Hulk as he had just arrived.

"What is he carrying?" Clint asked, narrowing his eyes at the faraway thunder god.

"Is that. . . Loki?" Bruce exclaimed, eyes widening at the sight.

"Yep," the Captain said, grimacing.

Thor was coming at them full speed, feet nearly a blur as he raced over the debris scattered over the streets. He skidded to a halt in front of them, allowing them all to see the unconscious man he currently held in his arms.

"We must help him," Thor gasped, out of breath. He set Loki on the ground. As soon as he did, the Jotun cried out in pain and twitched, one hand already on his abdomen, trying to stop the flow of blood and the pain.

"What the hell happened to him?" Stark asked, eyeing the blood all over Thor and now the ground.

"I've no idea. Something evil, that's for sure."

"More evil than him?" Natasha scoffed, hands on hips.

"Well, whatever's in him, it's certainly not from here," Banner said, already inspecting the gaping wound in Loki's midsection. He delicately touched a finger to the burning skin around the edge of the wound. Loki screamed again, back arching off the ground to the point where he had to be pressed back down.

"Careful with what you're doing there," Thor growled, seeing the reaction from his brother.

"I barely even touched him," Bruce said in defense.

"Clint, are they on their way to pick us up?" the Captain asked, glancing over at the archer.

"Yep, they should be here in a few minutes," Hawkeye responded.

"We may not have a few minutes," Banner mumbled softly, trying to stop the bleeding with a few scraps of his ripped off shirt; Loki all the while crying out in pain and twitching.

"I'm not going to let my brother die. We shall do whatever necessary to save him," Thor said firmly. He was sitting next to Loki, careful not to cause him any more pain.

Banner suddenly put his fingers to Loki's neck. "Uh oh, we're losing him!"

"Save him!" Thor yelled.

Bruce looked up, agitated, as he began to do CPR. "I'm trying!" 

* * *

**All right, I've had this idea in my head for days now, and I had to get it out. Don't expect this story to be more than a few chapters, but also expect it to, just in case. **

**Yup, that's right. You'll never know with me. And by the way:**

**CLIFFHANGER ON THE FIRST CHAPTER **

**EHHEHEHE**


	2. Chapter 2

Natasha fumbled with something, then put two small devices on her hands. She gently yet swiftly nudged Banner out of the way. "For Pete's sakes, here!" She quickly pushed away the armor from Loki's chest and pressed both her hands to his chest. "Clear!"

With a sudden jolt, Loki gasped, his head flying up, mouth open as he tried to get a breath in. Thor let out a sigh and put a single, large hand under his brother's head.

"It's okay, you're okay," Thor said soothingly. The whole team saw this, wondering who he was saying it for: Loki or himself?

Loki growled in pain. "You say that, but I don't feel it." He groaned and sagged farther into his brother's grip.

"Alright, this is a problem," Bruce said, hands covered in blood from the wound in Loki's abdomen.

"What do you need?" Natasha asked.

"Well, I need a hospital, but right now, I'll settle for something better to stem the bleeding with."

The Captain glanced around. "There's a hardware store right over there. I'll see if they have any rags or something." He headed off.

With no other solution, Banner turned to Loki. "Okay, I need you to just stay calm. We can't have you going into shock, which would be bad. Take deep, relaxing breaths."

"Urg-yes, I'm not stupid, I'm aware that's what I need to do," the Jotun growled softly.

"Loki, please, do not be difficult," Thor said to his brother.

"Well, I don't always try. It just happens."

There was the sound of footsteps approaching and Steve came running back, a few items held in his hands. He stopped next to Bruce, handing him some rags.

"Here you go, but this is all they had," the super soldier informed the scientist.

"I think these'll work until the quinjet gets here," Banner said, gratefully taking the items. "Thanks Cap."

"No problem."

"Alright, let's stop this horrible bleeding, shall we?" The scientist looked back down at Loki once again and gave him a grim smile. The god of mischief groaned. Not wasting another moment, Bruce gently pressed down on the gaping wound in Loki's midsection, provoking a barely held back cry of pain. The grey color of the cloth was already being stained a deep red, soaking into the fabric.

Bruce grimaced and replaced the thoroughly soaked rag with a clean one. This happened twice before the bleeding even somewhat calmed down.

It was then that the sound of a jet roared from above the city. Hawkeye glanced upward.

"The quinjet's here!" Barton announced the obvious, his eyes narrowed at the sky. The rumble of the engines filled the air, and the large black vehicle descended upon the Avengers. It touched down with a cloud of dust and debris that sprayed from the engines. In a matter of moments, the back door dropped down. From the quinjet, Director Nick Fury strode out, his usual serious face on.

"I congratulate you on your success," the director said, a proud tone in his voice.

"No time for pleasantries, Fury. My brother requires a healer," Thor declared roughly as he pushed himself between Cap and Hawkeye.

Nick Fury glared and moved his head to see. The defeated Jotun was no longer struggling, just laying limply as Bruce tried to stop the flow of his blood.

"And who's to say I shouldn't just let that little punk die here?" Fury growled. His mind shot back to Coulson in the helicarrier and all the employees who'd died in the building collapse at the start of all this.

"I will not let my brother die." Thor focused on the director, fire in his eyes.

"Your _brother_ is a criminal and a murderer! He nearly destroyed this whole planet out of petty jealousy."

"You do not know what happened," Thor snarled. He glared down at Fury. "I will not stand here idly while Loki is in pain and suffering. I shall do what I please."

"He killed hundreds of people. He's dangerous, and I won't have him onboard the helicarrier just for him to ambush us again."

"But he just saved us! He gave me his scepter so we could stop the Chitauri!"

"Loki's probably planning something!"

"You do not know my brother," Thor glowered.

The director fixed him with a furious glare, his one good eye burning into the Asgardian's.

With an angry huff, Fury swiveled around. "Fine. But he's your responsibility. I won't take the blame when we all die." He stomped off angrily. His long dark coat swayed behind him.

With a small, yet satisfactory grunt, Thor also turned away. He saw the looks on the other Avengers' faces and snorted.

"Do not look so surprised. We all know I would have won that argument-which I did," Thor said. He looked down at Loki, who had now fallen unconscious.

"Is he going to be okay?" Thor asked.

"Well, the bleeding has stopped-for now. I'm actually surprised about that," Bruce commented as he wiped the blood off his now red-stained hands. He caught Thor's un-approving glance and chuckled awkwardly. "I meant that in the best possible way."

"I am sure you did, doctor." He patted the scientist heartily on the back, startling the anxious man, before kneeling down next to Loki. "We must get him back to safety."

"Of course, then we can get him more, uh, cleaned up," Banner agreed nervously, still uncertain. He wrung his hands together, glancing about at the other Avengers who were watching. He mouthed 'what do I do?' to them, hoping for some backup.

Cap seemed to understand his distress and stepped forward. "Um, Thor, are you _sure_ bringing Loki to the helicarrier is the safest thing to do?"

Thor whipped around, getting to his feet. "Are you saying you do not approve of me making sure my brother is safe?"

"Well, um, no, but he did cause a lot of damage-"

"He did it not of his own free will. I shall explain later, but right now, we must help him."

The remaining Avengers exchanged glances, shrugging nervously. Thor bent down and picked the unconscious Jotun up. Loki was completely limp as he was carried towards the quinjet. The other Avengers cautiously followed after.

The ride back to the helicarrier was silent. The only sounds were when Loki groaned and mumbled in pain, by which Thor then gently ran his hand over his brother's head, trying to calm him.

It seemed like forever, but they finally arrived at the helicarrier. Thor stood up immediately, then looked towards Doctor Banner.

"Ah, yes, uh, this way," Bruce muttered quickly, wringing his hands together anxiously. Thor followed, his boots thumping on the floor. The two (though more like the group, as the remaining Avengers were all following anyways, just to see what would happen) made their way up to the medical portion of the floating base. Bruce went down a separate hallway, taking them away from the main sections, and instead to a private room. It had a few more _extraterrestrial_ features in it, perfect for treating the injured warriors . . . or in this case, villain.

"Just set him down there," Banner said, walking past the hospital bed that sat along one wall. Thor cautiously set Loki on the white bed and made sure his wound wasn't bleeding before watching Bruce.

The scientist had his glasses on (Thor had no idea where he'd pulled them from) and was setting up several machines. He took a portable, lightweight X-ray and wheeled it over to the side of the bed. A couple more pieces of machinery were transferred from various parts of the room.

"What are you going to do?" Steve asked from the doorway. Bruce glanced over.

"I'm going to get Loki an IV and then monitor his heart and get an X-ray. Something caused him to bleed like that, because I assume Thor didn't do that," Banner explained. He saw Thor nod in the side of his vision.

"Correct," the thunder god agreed.

"Can you tell us what happened while I'm doing this?" Bruce asked as he got the IV in.

"Well, Loki and I were on Stark Tower, and he agreed to close the portal. He went to the roof and then he collapsed. I closed the portal, and upon going back down to the ground, I realized he was bleeding quite heavily. I took him to you for examination as soon as I touched down."

Banner hummed in thought, pressing a stethoscope to Loki's chest. "And he didn't say anything?"

"No. Not about his injury."

"Too bad." Bruce put the stethoscope away and grabbed the X-ray. He adjusted the levels and everything before placing it over Loki. "We'll have to find out what's causing this . . ." He took several scans and then transferred them to the screen so they'd be visible.

"Does it show anything?" Thor asked, now standing around the prints.

"Just wait," Banner said simply.

"You know what I wanna know? Why, of all people, did Loki agree to stop what he started?" Clint questioned. He crossed his arms. The other Avengers seemed to agree with him, looking to Thor for answers.

"I . . . perhaps I should let Loki explain," Thor responded softly. His light blue eyes switched from his teammates to his brother laying unresponsive on the cot. "Or perhaps keep it to myself." He watched as Banner busied himself with sliding Loki's golden-and-green armor off his body. Thor knew pride was important to Loki, but he also knew Midgard healers could not use the same methods as Asgard. So it was probably necessary for Bruce to remove the remaining clothing separating him from getting to the injuries. Once his brother was unclothed from his waist up, the scientist prepared an IV.

"Alright, the X-rays are ready. Let's see what we can find," Bruce announced when he was finished. He brought the screen to him and inspected it. The other members of the team gathered around, curious. Banner glanced around, feeling crowded. "Uh, how about everyone else besides Thor takes their leave? We need some room, and there's not much space in here."

The team glanced around at each other. "Just keep us updated," Cap said after a moment. He gave Banner a concerned look and headed towards the door. Clint, Tony, and Natasha followed after, looking quite dissatisfied. Bruce caught Thor's eye and went back to work, examining the X-rays to find the source of the bleeding. After a few moments, Banner frowned. Thor watched his reaction carefully, hand up by his chin with that elbow resting in his other hand. He raised an eyebrow at the doctor.

"Did you find something?" Thor asked in a questioning, yet curious tone.

Banner narrowed his eyes briefly. "Yes, I did." He held up a finger, pointing it at a white shape located in the spot where Loki's injury was on the X-Ray. Thor blinked, tilting his head.

"What is that?"

"Don't exactly know, but whatever it is, that's got to be the thing causing the injury." Bruce turned to face the unconscious Jotun on the cot.

"Are you going to remove it?" Thor continued.

The scientist frowned in uncertainty. "If I can."

Seeing the pensive expression on Bruce's features, Thor quirked an eyebrow. "Does this bother you, Banner?"

"Uh . . . I'm not really the type of doctor that does this-"

"Then I shall do it myself." Thor shifted towards Loki. Bruce quickly grabbed onto Thor's arm, wincing. The thunder god frowned, looking down upon the smaller man.

"U-uh, no, don't. I can do it." Bruce let go of Thor's bicep. "Just let me prep him."

Thor nodded, falling silent. He watched as Banner moved around the room, gathering items and setting them on a tray.

"If you would wait outside . . . I'll do all I can, but there's no need for you to stay here and watch," Bruce said when he appeared to be done. He shifted his gaze towards Thor, not saying anything else. Thor hesitated, but then moved backwards slightly. He turned around and walked out the door. He let it shut behind him.

* * *

Tony swirled the coffee in his cup idly, an indecisive look on his face. He briefly glanced up at the number of other Avengers in the council room, but redirected his attention on the coffee.

"I don't know how to feel about this."

The team looked up at Steve. He met their gazes with wariness, a frown on his face. They waited a few moments for him to resume, but he didn't say anything more.

Tony leaned backed in his chair, propping his feet up on the smooth wooden table. "Well, _I_ don't have a good feeling about this. Whatever's happening to Loki, it means trouble. There's no doubt about that," Stark said. He finished his statement by taking a casual drink of his coffee, still meeting the team's gazes.

Natasha arched an eyebrow. She was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed. "I think we all know this doesn't look good. I wouldn't trust anything-and I'm not. So I say we be cautious."

"I agree. Loki could be up to something," Clint muttered.

"Loki is not up to anything."

The Avengers all directed their attention to the doorway opposite to Natasha. Thor stood quietly, blue gaze scanning their faces.

Tony swung his feet off the table, moving fluidly out of his chair-coffee cup still near his face. "I'm out. I think I'll go work on something."

Steve stood as well, but not to leave. He stuck an arm out and halted Stark in his tracks. "That's obviously a lie."

"You like to be where the gossip is, right Tony?" Romanoff asked, a smirk tugging at her lips.

"Not for a crazy murderer, who last time, nearly crashed this floating base," Tony retorted.

"You do not know what happened. Once I am sure Loki is well, I shall tell you all what occurred," Thor announced. "But I do not know how Loki will react. So I am going to wait." He walked forward, boots heavy on the floor. Thor took a seat in one of the chairs situated around the table.

"At least tell us one thing," Clint began, "why the _fuck_ should we trust you or Loki?"

"Hey, hey," Steve interjected. He sent a stern glare at Hawkeye. As he began to speak again, Natasha went over to Clint and spoke quietly to him. Steve continued. "Thor is our teammate. We've got to trust our team."

Turning back to Cap-much to Natasha's displeasure-he retorted, "Loki isn't _part_ of our team."

Steve hesitated slightly. "No, he isn't. But if Thor thinks this is . . . _safe,_ then we ought to take his word for it."

Thor nodded gratefully. "Believe me, I do not enjoy keeping secrets from you. But my brother has finally decided to trust me again and I don't intend to shatter the one strand we've recovered." He pressed his fingertips together, leaning back in his chair.

"See, that's what I don't understand," Tony finally said, pointing an accusing finger at the Asgardian. "He tried to kill you. Like, twice. Maybe more that I haven't heard of. Why in the world would you two suddenly develop a "sibling bond" again?"

"I shall explain when the time comes."

Natasha, who had finished consoling Clint, faced the team. "Is Bruce working on Loki?"

"Yes." Thor nodded, glad the topic was gone.

"And?"

"There was something found inside of Loki. We know not what it is, but Dr. Banner thinks it is the cause of my brother's injury."

"Yep. Glad there's more mysteries," Tony grumbled. "I knew this spelled trouble." He ended by downing the rest of his coffee. Which may or may not have had alcohol in it.

* * *

**God, I am so sorry. I had a really good idea for this story, and then right after I published it, there was this immediate loss of interest. But I got the second chapter done. Finally. Updates, I promise, will come more often. I've got a HECK load of stories I've got to do as well. **


	3. Chapter 3

Bruce navigated his way through the abdomen of his patient. He worked with a steady hand, tongs gripped in his fingers. This was definitely not something he thought he'd _ever _be doing. Especially not to a former? villain turned . . . um, Bruce actually wasn't sure what Loki was. But that didn't stop him from extracting whatever was inside of the Jotun. Suddenly, Bruce felt something brush against his tongs. He arched an eyebrow, nudging the object a few more times. Whatever it was, it definitely wasn't part of Loki. Banner shifted his hand and grasped the object with the tongs. It wasn't very big, seeming only a little bit smaller than his fist. With a slow and cautious movement, the scientist extracted the object, a quiet bubble of blood following suit. He quickly set the object on the nearby tray and brought up a small screen to lower Loki's blood pressure from it.

_Alright, there we go, _Banner thought as Loki's bleeding died down. Taking a cloth, he wiped up some of the blood that ran down onto the operating table/Loki's cot. _There is a reason I am _not _an actual doctor. _Bruce picked up a surgical needle and thread to begin stitching the broken god back together. After the first few rounds, more intense beeping drew his attention. Bruce's face turned upward, eyes peering over the top of his glasses to see Loki stirring from his unconsciousness. The scientist blinked in confusion, gaze redirecting to the screen reading Loki's anesthetic levels. To his surprise, they were the same. A low moan from the Jotun forced Banner to take action. He moved swiftly to increase the dose of anesthetic. Loki murmured in discomfort before stilling once more.

Bruce sighed in relief. Once he was sure Loki was not going to wake up again, he continued stitching the wide wound in his abdomen closed. In a matter of minutes, the bloody task was completed. Banner sat back with a sigh. His eyes drifted down to his bloodstained hands, and he frowned. He washed up and took Loki off the anesthetic (giving him a large amount of painkillers in with his IV as well), then placed the tools he'd used for surgery in the other room. _Then_ he redirected his attention to the object he had removed from Loki. It was a deep black and polished until it shone—although that may have just been the fresh blood still glistening in the light of the room. Bruce did a quick scan of it using the technology in the room, but found nothing. There was no energy, heat, or light being expelled from it. Perplexed, Banner carefully picked it up with the tongs and took out a small metal box, dropping the rock-like thing inside it. A small print of blood became seen under it and he quickly closed the lid on the box. He then slid the box to the side, mentally reminding himself to get it to the lab for examination.

* * *

Everyone looked up as Banner appeared in the doorway. Thor was right in front of him in an instant, eyes curious and wanting.

"I've removed the . . . object. If I'm correct, Loki should be waking up any minute now. Almost did during the surgery," Bruce said, grimacing. Thor clapped the scientist hardily on the shoulder, a grin creeping over his face. Banner let out a nervous laugh, shuffling awkwardly.

"Thank you much, Banner. Now, I shall be wanting to go to my brother," Thor declared. He thumped off, and the other Avengers hustled to do the same. Bruce, before the billionaire could get out the door, stopped Tony with a quick tap on the shoulder.

"Yeah?" Tony asked, quizzical.

"I think we should get Thor to take a look at the, uh, let's call it stone, and then see if we can find out what it is. After that, I propose you try and learn something from it," Banner suggested.

A grin became known on Tony's face. "Sweet, alien junk." He then padded down the hall after the others.

* * *

Loki felt sick. His head pounded and there was an intense pain in his abdomen. He tried to move, but found he couldn't.

Was it getting hot in there? Loki was pretty sure it was hot in there.

That was when he heard voices. Trying his hardest to shift—something, anything—Loki managed to twitch a finger. That seemed to help him wake up more, as the voices became more apparent and coherent.

". . . waking up," came a deep male's voice.

"He looks like shit," commented another. Loki tried to scoff at this, but managed only a groan as the pain increased.

"Loki? Can you hear me?" Loki recognized that voice now. That was definitely Thor. A hand wrapped around his, and the Jotun attempted to squeeze it. He succeeded. "Aha! Brother, speak for me, please." Loki groaned as Thor jostled his arm and the thunder god seemed to take notice of this, for he loosened his grip. Slowly—ever so slowly—Loki cracked an eye open.

". . . I . . ." was all he managed to speak.

Thor appeared in his blurry vision. Some of the light from the room was blocked out and he was grateful for that. "Loki? How art thou feeling?"

Trying not to roll his eyes at Thor's reverted speech, he croaked out an answer: "How . . . do you think I'm doing?"

Thor's face remained the same, apparently not affected by his brother's snarky attitude. "Well, at least we know he's not on the verge of death," Natasha's sarcastic voice sounded from off to the side.

"Is your stomach hurting?"

Loki was sure that was the beast without the beast—Banner, his name was. "You mean, as in my whole midsection? You'd be correct." Loki's eyes had long since closed. He couldn't stand the bright light—his headache was increasing steadily with every word that was spoken.

"I'll up the painkillers," Bruce said. There was the sound of movement and the terrible pain harassing the Jotun lessened considerably. Loki sighed with relief, sinking farther into his pillows.

"Brother, art thou—aren't you going to open your eyes?" Thor questioned.

Loki hesitated before shaking his head, and with a pant of a word, replied, "The light . . . i-is hurting my eyes." A moment later, the brightness of the room decreased, much to Loki's pleasure. After that, he tried once again to blink open his eyes. This time, he got them open and made them stay open.

Thor smiled, eyes gleaming. "It is good to see your gaze. I hope you are not hurting too bad."

Loki shrugged—or, at least, tried to. "I—" The beginning of a sentence was cut short as a terrible pain shot through his skull, causing him to give a cry of pain and pull away from Thor, hands gripping at his head.

"Loki!" Thor quickly did a lookover of his brother, surprise etched into his features.

"What's happening to Reindeer Games?" Tony asked, confused. A moment later, Loki's held back groans of pain stopped, and he remained still, panting heavily. His eyes were dull and lifeless. Thor frowned, sitting on the edge of the bed. He placed a hand on Loki's forehead and found it to be swelteringly hot.

"He is overheating," Thor informed the team as he withdrew his hand. "He gets severe headaches when this happens—no amount of painkillers can stop them."

"Here, I'll lower the temperature," Steve said, as he was closest to the thermostat. "How cold should I set it to?"

Thor thought briefly before answering with: "Fifty-five." Acknowledging his teammate's words, Steve rolled the dial until he got to the correct temperature. Soon, the air began to grow cold.

"How's that, Loki?" Thor asked.

Loki sighed, relaxing. "Much better."

"Good." Thor paused. "Are you in need of anything?"

As if on cue, Loki yawned. He blushed slightly at the snickers, but returned them with a glare.

"We better leave Sleepy here to himself," Hawkeye smirked.

Thor shot an unapproving glance back at Barton, but returned his gaze to Loki. "You look defeated, brother. Perhaps you should sleep off your weariness instead of spending it under a spell." With an irritated pout, Loki crossed his arms. Thor smiled slightly, leaned forward, and kissed Loki on the forehead. No one dared say anything.

* * *

**More Loki whump to come. So much more. Just because I can. Haha, am I right guys? . . . Guys? **


	4. Chapter 4

Thor gazed down upon the small stone with confusion. An eyebrow cocked, head following suit. About an hour after leaving the infirmary where Loki was staying, Bruce had asked Thor to take a look at the stone.

"I have no idea what this is," the god finally said. Tony and Bruce frowned, shoulders drooping.

"Well, that _could've_ made our jobs a lot easier," Stark muttered, picking up the stone with tongs and depositing it into a sealed container.

"I am sorry to not be of any assistance to you. However, once Loki awakens, you may be able to get him to talk."

"Yup, I'm sure he'll be a bucketful of information."

Thor frowned. "Loki is one of the most skilled magicians in Asgard. If this 'stone' did cause his injury, he'll more than likely know where it came from."

"Uh huh, yeah, I don't know if I'm okay with trusting your brother—you know, god of mischief?" Tony raised an eyebrow at the Asgardian, shrugging.

"Your concerns are noted."

* * *

A sharp pain in his head brought Loki out of his slumber. A sigh of irritation escaped his mouth, eyebrows lowering over his eyes. Within the next few minutes, the Jotun managed to open his eyes to the world. The lights were still dimmed and the room a nice temperature. It felt much better than the stifling heat he'd felt earlier. Unfortunately, he was still dealing with the increasing amount of pain in his abdomen again.

Geez, didn't these Midgardians have any painkillers that actually worked?

Wait, now that Loki's mind was clear—and he wasn't being assaulted with questions from the nearly intolerable Avengers—he realized he didn't even remember why he was here. It took some thinking, but eventually Loki succeeded in activating his memory. The Chitauri, the mind-numbing agony as whatever was inside him activated—and most of all, Thor telling him it was alright as they tried to end the destruction of the planet.

Suddenly, Loki felt very lonely.

Grunting, the Jotun sat up in his bed. His whole body protested this simple action intimately, heart pounding in his chest. Loki coughed, pain rocketing up his spine. Not wanting another accident, he fell back onto the bed, heart hammering loudly. His breath came in quick gasps, the ability to get a full inhale escaping him. Loki clenched his fists, unable to calm himself and found himself wishing Thor was there to assist him. _Okay, so trying to sit up is_ not _a good idea,_ Loki thought to himself. Chest rising and falling rapidly, he found the pain in his midsection escalating. He grit his teeth together, a snarl of pain barely being held back. His vision swam as he gasped for air.

"Loki!?"

Two hands were on his face, trying to make him look at them. Thor began to speak, but by this point Loki was hardly able to concentrate on what was being said. There were several louder exclamations and then blurry figures appeared on the outskirts of his vision. Thor's hands were no longer on Loki's face but one was holding his hand, though the only one doing any actual movement was Thor. Sounds muddled together (he vaguely recalled a sharp beeping that stood out) and Loki's eyes closed.

* * *

Thor sat, worriedly, in the chair beside his brother's bed. He'd walked in to Loki having some sort of fit, writhing and struggling for air. Thor had raced forward and tried to control the spasms, calling for Doctor Banner, but they'd lost Loki to unconsciousness before anything could really be done. So afterwards, he'd taken a seat and was now waiting patiently for his brother to awaken. Bruce had returned to the lab to study the stone with Tony. It wasn't long before his mind began to wander.

He thought about the fights, the pain, and most importantly, the news of Loki's torture. If he had _been_ there, perhaps he could've saved him. But he hadn't been. He had let his brother down.

Wait, wait a second, Thor hadn't seen any scars or injuries of any kind—at least not that would've been inflicted by torture. Bruce hadn't reported anything, either. That was more than suspicious.

Thor eyed Loki carefully. Mayhaps he was lying? . . . No, no, Loki couldn't lie about something like that, _wouldn't_ lie about something like that. But then why weren't there any markings? Even superior beings like them had scars and the like, and anything that was a sign of torture couldn't heal like that. The thunder god stood up, curious, but also regretful that he was actually going to do this.

Thor reached over and pushed the white shirt Loki was wearing up. The sewed-up gash crisscrossing his midsection looked fine, so he continued upwards. There was no sign of any blemishes. Loki seemed to be fairly unscarred. But . . .

Magic. That was it. Loki's magic was unpredictable and could do amazing things—like hiding injuries or scars. Thor allowed Loki's shirt to fall back down, covering his latest wound. The thunder god was pensive, knowing exactly what he was going to ask his brother when he awoke.

* * *

Tony stood gazing down at the stone. JARVIS was running yet _another_ scan of the thing, in hope that there was something—anything—they might have missed. Not one of them had touched it. Anything could happen.

_Scan complete. There is nothing about the stone we do not already know, _JARVIS reported; the same report the scientists had gotten the last three times.

"You're sure?" Stark said inquisitively. He eyed the stone.

_Positive, sir. _

"Well, great. I don't know what to do."

Bruce glanced up from his station where he was working with several concoctions that they would use on the stone. "Just keep trying different things, I suppose."

Tony paused. "Or we could just touch it."

"Tony. You know we can't take that risk. Look what it did to Loki."

_Doctor Banner would be correct, sir. _

"Bruce, get a first aid kit ready," Tony said, wiggling the fingers on one hand.

_I highly recommend against this action, sir. _

"Tony! I swear, if you touch that—"

The billionaire cautiously reached a hand forward. His index finger barely touched it and a blast of energy burst from the stone. Tony went flying backwards, crashing into equipment and falling onto his back with a thump. Banner had already ducked down behind his station, but now poked his head up above the table.

"Tony? Tony? JARVIS, get someone, would you?" Bruce stammered. Stark lay unmoving on the floor, surrounded by pieces of metal and broken shards of glass. Fortunately, his Arc Reactor didn't flicker or turn off.

_Emergency personnel have already been informed and are on the way to your location, Doctor Banner. _

"Thanks, J."

_You are quite welcome._

* * *

"Shit," Clint muttered.

"He's an idiot," Natasha sighed, shaking her head.

"I agree," Steve added.

"Oh, come on guys," Bruce said as he busied himself with wrapping Tony's hand in gauze. The billionaire lay unconscious on a cot, a little blood dripping from his nose. He had gotten a few cuts from being slammed around and the initial blast from the stone had sliced his hand open, plus a minor injury on the back of his head from hitting the floor, but that was it. "At least we know now that the stone will screw you over if you touch it."

"He shouldn't have touched it in the first place," Steve argued, crossing his arms.

"Do you think I just didn't tell him that, or what?" Banner raised an eyebrow at the soldier. "Because I did. He's careless; I should've known he'd touch it—considering what it did to Loki."

Natasha shifted in her spot. "Speaking of our situation, that stone was inside him. I seriously doubt he did that to himself."

"Unless he's some sort of masochist, I doubt it," Barton said, shrugging. "He was all groaning and screaming last time I saw him."

"We need answers. Once Loki is awake—or not—we go to Thor and demand some," Steve growled.

Banner wiped blood from his hands and walked around the bed. "We might have to just get answers out of Thor. Loki had a bit of a . . . fit earlier and passed out again. He could be down for hours yet."

Steve fixed the scientist with one of his serious looks. "Then let's go."

* * *

Thor turned around as he heard the approach of his teammates. He lifted a hand to greet them, but quickly stopped as he saw the looks on their faces. He noticed Tony was also missing.

"Is something wrong, friends?" Thor asked, standing up. Behind him, Loki slept on. Natasha stepped forward, explaining the situation to Thor. The thunder god's face dropped and he glanced away. The team watched him expectantly. "Well, I'm sorry about that. Unfortunately, I could not have predicted that from happening. So what do you want, exactly?"

"Thor, we want you to explain to us what occurred between you and Loki," Clint said firmly.

"I said I would wait to speak to Loki about it. I am not going to go back on my word."

"We need answers! We can't wait around in obliviousness of what's happening. We let Loki come back to the helicarrier—the least you can do is tell us what's going on," Steve said.

Thor looked torn for a moment. He flexed his fingers, glancing away. On one hand, if he told them, then they'd trust him more but Loki would be furious. And on the other, if he didn't tell them, then they wouldn't trust him.

Thor glanced back up, meeting their gazes. "Fine. I shall tell you. But I wish to only say it once, so we wait for Stark to waken."

* * *

**I'm on a roll, guys. I have read like every single whump story on this site in less than a day and I am pumped. **


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey, JARVIS, next time I do something like that, warn me of what happened with the stone."

_Very well, sir. _

The billionaire had woken about ten minutes ago with a major headache and a sliced open hand. Truthfully, it could've been worse, and at least he didn't break anything. He could still use his hand too, though there were bandages from his palm that weaved around his thumb down to his wrist. But after some Advil and a quick scotch, he'd been informed of the 'meeting' and was walking tiredly to congregate with the rest of the team.

"Look who's here," Barton's voice sounded first.

"Ugh," Tony grumbled, "bite me." He strolled into the council room and took a seat, sighing, an icepack pressed to the back of his head. The eyes of his teammates were on him for another good ten seconds or so before a quick glare from Stark made them get back to the task at hand. Then all pairs of eyes were on Thor.

The thunder god shifted uncomfortably under their scrutinizing stares, but cleared his mind enough to speak. "So . . . Loki," was all he said right away.

"Yup, I can already tell we're going to get somewhere," Tony grumbled, elbow propped up on the arm of his chair and head in hand with the other one holding the icepack.

"Tony." That was Steve. The super soldier turned his attention to Thor. "Can you tell us why you and Loki just . . . decided to be friends again?"

Thor drummed his fingers on his legs. His gaze switched back and forth from the team to the door, as if contemplating bolting before they could get any answers out of him. "My friends, you must know that I'm uncomfortable with this situation."

Clint leaned back in his chair, fiddling with a knife. "Yeah, we get it. But that doesn't mean we're going to let you leave without telling us what's going on with you and that psychopath." The rest of the team murmured their agreements and watched Thor with more concentration—Tony, perhaps, was not, but he was too busy pouting to be of much use.

"Alright. You want to know first why Loki changed sides and helped us close the portal?"

A collection of nods was his reply.

Thor hesitated, biting his lip in indecision. "When I went to confront Loki . . ."

* * *

Nick Fury didn't like this. He didn't like this one little bit. There was a deranged, homicidal villain onboard SHIELD's flying base—the one Loki had nearly managed to crash last time. Now, Thor thought it was _safe _to bring the wacko on here! If he didn't know better, he would've fallen for this little trick. But Director Fury had been through too much to let Loki's act fool him. There was an easy solution—well, that was kill Loki, but Thor would have his head if he did, so that was out of the picture.

Fury tapped his fingers on his desk, pensive. His one good eye searched the room idly, perhaps in an attempt to make him forget about the villain onboard. Nope, the ominous feeling was still there, lodged deep within his gut. With a single, fluid motion, the Director stood up and stormed towards the door of his office. He flung it open and headed down the hall, making his way to the infirmary. There was nearly no one in the rooms. The only one he actually knew was occupied was the room Loki was in, and he guessed Thor was allowing no one but Banner to treat his maniac of a brother.

The door swung open quietly.

The beeping of a heart monitor greeted Fury as he walked in, along with the wheezing sound of Loki breathing. His chest rose and fell in an unsteady rhythm. He was dressed in a white uniform consisting of a T-shirt and pants in the same material that all hospitals had. His shoulder length black hair was slicked back and his skin pale, the dark circles under his eyes that he'd always had.

Director Fury watched the god roughly sleeping for a minute, scrutinizing his appearance. He didn't look too bad at the moment, if a bit banged up. An array of cuts and bruises littered his face and neck, though that was all the damage that was visible. Fury walked over to the various devices hooked up to Loki and glanced at the readings. They didn't point to anything good. So maybe the god wasn't faking—they couldn't be sure, however.

The Director left, unsatisfied.

* * *

"Shit, torture?"

There was Tony's incredulous gasp for the day. Thor looked a bit sickened, slouching down in his chair more than usual.

"Wait, wait, I didn't see any bruises _or_ scars," Clint retorted, eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, me neither," Bruce said.

"I believe my brother has hidden them from our view with magic. He hates his weaknesses being seen so I think that's the reason," Thor explained further.

"That makes sense, I guess," Steve admitted.

"Or maybe he wanted to hide the things that made him the way he is in the first place," Natasha murmured, almost unheard by the heroes in the room. Surprised gazes were on her in a less than a second, and she lifted her head. "What? I know I'd hate looking at something that was caused by someone else. Especially if that thing were the one controlling me." She blinked, eyes flinty.

"Whoa, okay," Stark grimaced, forcing memories of his own down the drain.

"So what else, then? He was forced by this character to lead the Chitauri, fought until you managed to get him to admit this to you, and then the stone, I presume, activated?" Steve questioned.

"Yes, that is what I believe," Thor replied levelly.

"Then that must mean that, uh, whoever, put the stone in him, right?" Tony began again, genius mind absorbing the information. "To have complete control of him, he had to have something to threaten Loki with."

Bruce seemed to understand what Tony was getting at. ". . . And if he could forever threaten him with death—as the stone was sure to do—then Loki would be under his control."

Stark grinned slightly, but winced as his headache ignited because of it. "Owch—yes, that's brilliant." He wiggled his eyebrows. "Man, it feels good being a genius."

"Anyways, that's all that Loki has told you?" Natasha asked, redirecting the conversation.

Thor thought for a brief moment, then nodded. "Yes. The . . . torture . . . but by who I know not. That is just one of the many things I wish to ask Loki when he awakes."


End file.
